Colorado AvidGolfer Put the sprawling 398-room Loews Ventana Canyon together with the intimate 50-suite Lodge at Ventana Canyon. What do you have? The only lodging options in Tucson with exclusive access to the two Tom Fazio-designed courses—the Mountain and Canyon—at Ventana Canyon. A Sure Bet Owned and operated by Tucson’s Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the … Read more
Colorado AvidGolfer They don’t call it the South Beach of the Desert for nothing. With more than 80 nightlife options—including wine bars, restaurants, lounges and dance clubs— within walking distance of one another, downtown Scottsdale pulses with action after dark. See experiencescottsdale.com for a complete menu. Get Cultured Scottsdale boasts one of the highest … Read more
Colorado AvidGolfer Talk the Talk… Talking Stick Resort’s appropriately named Orange Sky—the most elegant of its six restaurants— perches atop the 15th floor, with floor-to-ceiling views of the McDowell Mountains and the 36 holes designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The floor directly below Orange Sky houses Talking Stick’s 13,000-square-foot, open-air spa. talkingstickresort.com … Read more
Colorado AvidGolfer The bunkers and greens on all 27 Jack Nickalus-designed holes at the Westin La Paloma all received enhancements during the resort’s recent $35 million “rejuvenation.” Omni Present The PGA Tour’s Tucson Open may be history, but the Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course (which hosted the event for 30 years) and newer Sonoran (designed … Read more
Tony Dear For years, I was happy to wheel my travel bag through airport baggage reclaim areas and out to Ground Transportation or the car rental office. It was a bit of a pain, but really, with the thought of playing golf in brilliant sunshine racing through my mind, it was but a minor inconvenience. … Read more
Tony Dear San Antonio’s municipal masterpiece is a must-play. Given the Lone Star State’s unofficial motto – “Bigger is Better” – it perhaps shouldn’t come as too big a surprise to learn that four of its cities are listed among the 11 most populous in the United States. But did you know that San Antonio … Read more
Tony Dear Though still enjoying the last weeks of summer, you'll be needing to consider a winter golf trip soon. It'll not be long before a good many of Colorado's courses are closed, and you're shut up inside dreaming of perfectly manicured greens and perfectly endless, uncorrupted skies. Scottsdale, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, and Florida … Read more
Tony Dear Thirty years ago, the world top 100 course rankings looked very different to what they do now. The elite was pretty much the same—Pine Valley, St Andrews, Augusta National, Royal Melbourne, Cypress Point, all the usual suspects—but somewhere down in the 40s or 50s, I’d always find a few courses that, to a … Read more
Tony Dear Time was, you couldn’t turn your computer on without somehow increasing your already impressive knowledge of Costa Rica’s golf scene. Lately, however, it seems the Costa Rica golf PR engine has been filled with sand, with no news for years. So what happened? “No one is moving dirt,” says Landy Blank, a native … Read more
Tony Dear The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which started life in 1744 as the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith and which hosted last month’s memorable Open Championship (its 16th), has long been regarded as Britain’s strictest, most selective, and most politically-incorrect golf club. Run by famously overbearing secretaries – usually retired military personnel – the … Read more
